As puppies grow into adolescence, many owners notice a significant change in their dog’s energy levels. They can become more excitable, easily distracted, impulsive and seemingly harder to tire out. The natural response is often to increase exercise. Longer walks, more ball throwing, more games and more activities in the hope that a tired dog will be a calmer dog. But what if we’re actually adding to the problem?

Firework season can be a difficult time for dogs and their guardians. Some dogs cope quite comfortably, while others find the flashes and unpredictable bangs frightening. Every dog is an individual, so what helps one dog may not help another. Preparing ahead, recognising when your dog is struggling and giving them choices can help you support them through it. 🐾 Prepare before the fireworks begin

What should you do in the moment? End the interaction and create space. Help your child reach safety behind a stair gate or other secure barrier without turning it into another chase. If you can safely redirect the puppy onto a suitable toy, an adult can use it to draw their attention away while the child moves to safety. Do not ask the child to manage the biting or wrestle anything from the puppy.

“You’re so lucky. You get paid to walk dogs all day.” I’ve heard variations of this many times. And yes, I absolutely love working with dogs. I feel very lucky to have built a career around something I genuinely care about. But professional dog walking is about rather more than putting a lead on a dog and going for a nice walk. For me, becoming a dog walker wasn’t simply a case of deciding that I liked dogs and thought it would be a nice job. My working life took an unexpecte

“Slip leads are cruel. Every dog should be walked on a harness.” You may have heard this from trainers, dog walkers or social media accounts. And I understand why people have concerns. A slip lead can absolutely be used badly. Excessive pressure, repeated corrections, jerking or allowing a dog to continually pull against one can cause discomfort and potentially put unnecessary pressure on the neck. But is it really as simple as saying slip leads are cruel? I don’t think it is

Is your dog really trying to dominate you? Discover why the old “pack leader” theory is outdated and what emotions may really be behind your dog’s behaviour.

A young dog calmly watching traffic from a safe distance beside their owner, illustrating gradual desensitisation and positive reinforcement. Your dog ignores a cue they know, pulls towards traffic or suddenly seems to forget all their training. It is easy to conclude that they are being stubborn. But what if they are not refusing to cooperate? What if the environment is too exciting, frightening or distracting for them to respond successfully? “Stubborn” is a convenient labe

A dog growling can make people feel uncomfortable. It can sound threatening, rude or even aggressive, and because of that, one of the first reactions people sometimes have is to tell the dog off. But a growl is not something I would want to punish. A growl is communication. It is the dog telling us that something is wrong, uncomfortable or worrying them. Why Do Dogs Growl?

Look at what happened before the biting Rather than only concentrating on the bite itself, start noticing the pattern. Was your puppy awake for a long time? Had you just been playing an exciting game? Are they teething? Has the house become busy? Is this happening at approximately the same time every evening? Those little clues can tell you much more than the biting alone.

The definition of a reactive dog is one that will overreact in certain situations or stimulus. An example of this could be a dog seeing another dog across the street, a person wearing a uniform such as the post man, a cyclist, or even a stationary object. These are known as ‘Triggers’ and a reactive response to seeing a trigger if often displayed by the dog’s behaviour, such as whining, barking, growling, and lunging. Often owners and passers by may feel the dog is being agg

Buster & Skye Oh, the Spaniel they just melt your heart, with their gorgeous brown eyes looking straight into the very core of your soul. You may have been a guardian to a spaniel before or you decided on a different breed of dog the next time round. You could be a first-time guardian to one of these gorgeous dogs. I did not do any research when I bought Buster home, having recently lost my previous dog of 17 years I was not planning on another dog so soon after her passing.

When a dog’s behaviour changes, it can be easy to assume they are being difficult, stubborn or simply getting older. But behaviour does not happen in isolation. Sometimes a change in behaviour may be one of the first signs that a dog is experiencing pain or physical discomfort. That is why, before beginning a behaviour modification programme, I believe it is important to consider whether there could be a medical reason behind what we are seeing.

When we see dogs on a lead that are exhibiting a reactive behaviour such as lunging and barking at other dogs or people we can be guilty of thinking the dog is being aggressive. Take this same dog to the park and let them off the lead, they interact perfectly with dogs and people. Does this sound familiar? Your dog may exhibit the same emotional outbursts when they are looking out the window and see a person or dog walk past, your dog barks when behind the garden gate or f